1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to printers. More particularly, the present invention relates to one or more controls on the exterior surface of the printer for horizontally and vertically aligning a printed image on the printed-upon media.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a typical printer, the pages or other media that is being printed upon is centered in the feed mechanism and a print job with the particular dimensions and parameters of the printing on the media is sent from the host computer. The printer includes some type of printing device that aligns the printing equipment of the printer over the media to print an image with the requested parameters. In several types of printers, such as ink jet printers, the printing device makes a printing swath across the media as it prints lines of text or graphics, and aligns each swath to fall within the printed image. Whenever it is desired to adjust the printed image parameters, a change must be effectuated in the printing equipment and printing device to reposition them in accord with the new desired parameters of the printed image.
Some printers have internal logic, either in hardware or software, that converts the desired printed image parameters to that specific printer""s equipment positions and dimensions. Many word-processor and image-editing software products are currently available which provide the capability to the user to allow horizontal and vertical centering of the printed image on the page. However, the alignment of the printed image as set forth in the print job from the host often does not exactly translate on the specific printer to which the host software is sending the print job and precise alignment of the printed image on the media can be problematic.
For instance, when a user desires to match a text edge with a mark on their letterhead, such alignment requires a significant precision printing on the media. Usually, trial and error with software settings is required for a user to achieve this type of precise alignment. With the wide variety of software on a typical host desktop, it is often time-consuming just to learn how to adjust the software settings for the specific image generating the print job in order to get the particular alignment on the printed media. Moreover, the adjustments must occur at the host computer as the print job itself must be modified, and the printed results are only seen at the printer once the media is printed.
There are printers which have physical controls to alter parameters of the printing device in the printer to adjust various qualities of the printed image, however, these control are not readily accessible and often can only be accessed while the printer is not in operation. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a simple avenue to adjust the alignment of the printed image on the page at the printer so a user can easily adjust the alignment of the printed image. It is to the provision of such an improved alignment control and method of alignment that the present invention is primarily directed.
The present invention is a printed image alignment apparatus and a method of aligning a printed image on a printed-upon media, such as pages of paper. The printed image alignment apparatus is in a printer that includes an external surface and a printing device that prints a defined portion on a media. The apparatus comprises an alignment control in connection to the printing device and which selectively adjusts the alignment of the printed portion on the printed media, and the alignment control is on the exterior surface of the printer. This alignment control is preferably used on printers that print upon single pages in sequence, such as ink jet and laser printers.
The alignment control preferably is comprised of one or more pushbuttons on the external surface of the printer that either align the horizontal alignment of the printed portion on the printed media, or align the vertical alignment of the printed portion, or both. The apparatus preferably further includes a slow print mode wherein the printing of the media is slowed such that the alignment control selectively adjusts the alignment of the printed portion between printing on individual pages. The printer then preferably returns to regular print speed from slow print mode after a predetermined duration of alignment control inactivity.
The inventive method of adjusting the alignment of a printed portion of a printed-upon media in a printer with the alignment control on the external surface of the printer includes the steps of aligning the printed portion on the media with the alignment control, and printing on the media to thereby create the printed portion. The method preferably further includes the steps of realigning the printed portion on the media after a first printing on the media, e.g. after one page has printed, and printing the realigned printed portion on the media, e.g. another page.
Accordingly, the step of aligning the printed portion on the media is preferably aligning the printed portion through actuation of one or more pushbuttons that adjust either the horizontal alignment of the printed portion, the vertical alignment, or both. And the method further preferably includes the step of slowing the printing on the media (or completely pausing the printing in between pages) such that the printed portion can be realigned in between different printings, such as between the printing of consecutive pages. The slower printing gives the user of the printer sufficient time to adjust the print swath of the printer to realign the printed portion before the next page is fed and printed.
In a further embodiment, the alignment control can adjust the alignment of the printing device during each consecutive print swath. In operation, the user presses the alignment control for the desired alignment adjustment and the printer automatically initiates the slowed print mode and counts the individual actuations of the alignment control. The printer then stores the number of alignment control actuations between each print swath and adds the cumulative value to the next print swath and the proceeding print swaths thereafter. If the alignment control is actuated during a print job, the printer will immediately go into a slowed print mode where the printing of each swath is slowed. The print swath can then be quickly and iteratively adjusted with the active feedback to the user. Again, once the alignment control has been inactive for a predetermined period, the regular print speed is restored. Thus, the inventive method preferably further includes the steps of realigning the printed portion on the media after printing a first swath on the media, e.g. after one line has printed, and printing the realigned printed portion on the media in a consecutive swath, e.g. another printed line. Any vertical alignments to the individual printed swaths can be made in the same manner during consecutive print swaths.
Further, the printer can include a transparent cover or moveable cover such that the user of the printer can view the printing device as it prints swaths upon the media and the user can make immediate alignment adjustments. Such adjustments are best suited to occur during the slow print mode as discussed above.
The present invention therefore has industrial applicability in that it can either be implemented in the printer during the manufacturing process in hardware or software, or existing printers can be modified to include the alignment controls on their exterior. The alignment control allows the user to quickly realign the print swath such that the printed portion on the media can be adjusted by the user standing at the printer, and not through specific commands directed to the printer from the host. When embodied as one or more pushbuttons, the alignment control allows simple actuation of the one or more pushbuttons to adjust the horizontal or vertical alignments of the printed portion which can be accomplished in consecutive printing of pages or other media, or during consecutive print swaths in a swath printer.
Thus, the present invention provides a commercial advantage to the manufacturer as it gives the printer an advantage over models of competing printers. Other printers must have the print swath either realigned by a command from the host computer, or some physical adjustment to the paper feed or the printer itself must be made to in order to adjust the alignment of the printed portion. Consequently, a simple actuatable control for printed portion alignment represents a distinct improvement over the prior art printers. A user of the invention can quickly, at the output source of the printed media, adjust the printed portion on the media regardless of other application software settings (or lack thereof).
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after review of hereinafter set forth in the Brief Description of the Drawings, the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims.